What Is Holistic Counseling?

What is holistic counseling and what are its benefits?

It's a wild ride being human! Life can be so beautiful, and so tough. When you're feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or anxious, it can be hard to know where to turn for help. If you're considering therapy and wanting to learn more about holistic counseling and how it can help, you're in the right place.

Holistic counseling is an integrative approach to psychotherapy that treats the whole person: mind, body, heart, and spirit.

Holistic therapy goes beyond putting a bandaid on your symptoms and strives to create long-term healing and wellness by addressing the root cause of your challenges, using traditional psychology methods along with alternative healing modalities.

There are many benefits to holistic counseling. This type of therapy can help you to:

• Heal childhood wounds

• Reduce stress

• Live a life of meaning and purpose rather than just getting by

• Build healthy and deeply fulfilling relationships

• Feel more balanced, authentic, and empowered

• Truly love yourself and your life

If you're looking for an approach to therapy that will help you heal on a deep level and create lasting change in your life, holistic therapy can help. If you're interested in starting holistic psychotherapy, read on to learn more about how our team of holistic therapists at The Holistic Counseling Center can help.

How does holistic counseling differ from traditional therapy methods?

Traditional talk therapy tends to focus heavily on the past and treat symptoms, not always getting to the root cause of your suffering. Here at The Holistic Counseling Center, we incorporate the latest and greatest advances and wisdom from the fields of neuroscience, western psychology, nutrition, energy psychology, and eastern spiritual traditions such as mindfulness, meditation, Ayurveda, breathwork, reiki and yoga.

We work with you to uncover and dismantle the root causes of your symptoms so that you can experience true and lasting change in your life, and experience more love, fulfillment, and joy. This approach has a transformative effect on the mind-body-spirit connection and can help you heal on an emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual level. Our holistic approach to counseling can provide a more well-rounded and effective form of treatment than traditional talk therapy alone.

What issues can holistic counseling help Me with?

Therapy can be a transformative experience in any phase of life. You don't have to be in crisis to seek help. Think of holistic counseling as a self-care practice, similar to seeing an acupuncturist, getting a massage, attending a yoga class, or a meditation workshop. You'll gain new skills, clarity, and momentum for creating a life you love.

Wondering if holistic counseling can help you?

Here are a handful of challenges that can be addressed in therapy (for a full list of our specialties here at The Holistic Counseling Center, check out this page):

1. Anxiety

2. Depression

3. Stress and Overwhelm

4. Trauma

5. Narcissistic Abuse

6. Postpartum Depression and Postpartum Anxiety

7. Infertility

8. Relationship Satisfaction (including couples counseling)

9. Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

10. Children of Borderline or Narcissistic Parents

11. Parenting

12. Spirituality (crisis of faith, religious trauma, spiritual emergencies, spiritual awakening, accessing your intuition)

13. Life Purpose and Life Satisfaction (creating a life you love!)

What can you expect during a typical session with a holistic counselor?

Holistic counseling is an expanded version of traditional talk therapy. Yes, there will be talking, and meaning-making. Yes, we will look back at your childhood and explore relationship templates and how your past might still be impacting your present.

We will also explore beyond these themes of being human, and look for meaning and growth opportunities that involve your mental, emotional, physical, spiritual and existential life as well.

When you seek therapy at The Holistic Counseling Center, we'll explore themes such as:

• How does my childhood impact my current relationships?

• What does it mean to be human?

• What does my nervous system have to do with my emotions?

• Is there a purpose for my suffering?

• Why are the unique challenges I’m facing happing to me?

• How can I lessen or end my suffering?

• How does what I eat and drink impact my mental health?

• Why can’t I control my emotions?

• I know what I'm struggling with, but how do I actually change it?

• How do I experience more joy and love in my life?

What techniques and modalities Are Used in Holistic Counseling?

Here at The Holistic Counseling Center, we use traditional, evidence-based western psychological treatments as well as tools and practices from eastern wisdom traditions, to help you make changes in your life and create a life you love!

Here are some of the more traditional, evidence-based treatments and modalities we use in our therapy sessions:

• Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)

• CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)

• Interpersonal Psychotherapy

• IFS (Internal Family Systems)

• DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy)

Here are some of the alternative modalities rooted in neuroscience and spiritual wisdom traditions we offer:

• Breathwork

• Mindfulness Practices

• Somatic Body-Based Practices

• Meditation (don’t worry, everyone can meditate)

• Yoga

• Art Therapy

• EFT (Emotional Freedom Technique)

• Reiki

• Energy Healing

What Should I look for in a Holistic Counselor?

The most important factor to consider when choosing a therapist is finding someone you feel comfortable with and can eventually trust and confide in. As with any relationship, this can take time and practice.

How do you know if the therapist you're working with is a good fit? Trust your gut. Just like when you meet a new friend, trust that part of you that feels a kinship or that you 'like' this person. If you feel like can you speak comfortably with your therapist, and are received with compassion, kindness, and curiosity, you're probably off to a good start.

How Can The Holistic Counseling Center Help Me?

Here at The Holistic Counseling Center, we offer integrative psychotherapy for adults, teens and couples and specialize in:

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Trauma

• Spirituality

• Postpartum depression and postpartum anxiety

• The LGBTQ+ community

• Psychedelic integration

You can find a full list of our specialities HERE.

If you’re ready to get started on your healing journey, we offer a free 15-minute consultation call to get to know you and match you up with the best therapist for you in our practice. We don't randomly assign you to someone based on schedule; we like to consider ourselves therapist matchmakers. After we chat, we'll recommend one of our therapists to work with, or another practitioner in the community if for some reason we're not the best fit.

Click below to book your consultation call and our intake coordinator will reach out to chat!

We are accepting new clients for in-person counseling in our El Dorado Hills location, and offer virtual therapy for anyone in California.

We look forward to supporting you!

-Kim

Meet Kim Burris

Kim is a licensed holistic psychotherapist, founder of The Holistic Counseling Center, and author of ‘The First 90 Days After Birth.’

She honors the mind, body, spirit connection and offers evidence-based treatment with a heart centered approach, integrating the depth of western psychology with the heart and soul of eastern mysticism.

Kim and her team currently offer holistic counseling to individuals in El Dorado Hills, CA and online. Click HERE to book a no-cost consultation call.